Electrical ignition device.



H, J. PODLEKK.

ELEGTRIGAL IGNITION DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.25, 1910.

1,034,645. Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

W/TN ESVSES INVENTOZD UNITED STATES PATENT omen HENRY aosnrn ronLEsAK,0F cnrcaeo, ILLINOIS.

.ELEG'I'RICAL IGNITION DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 25,

Patented Aug. 6, 1912. 1910. Y Serial No. 551,546.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY J osnrn Poonasax, acitizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical IgnitionDevices,- of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to electrical ignition devices for explosiveengines and the like, and has for its particular object to provide asimple, compact, and effective means for igniting the explosive chargesin the cylinders of internal combustion motors.

Referring tot-he drawings: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation ofan arrangement' for a single cylinder motor; Fig. 2

shows an arrangement for a four cylinder motor; Fig. 3 shows onemodification of the circuit making and breaking device; Fig. 4 showsanother arrangement for four cylinder motors.

Letter G represents a magneto generator, aving permanent .magnets M, andpole pieces L L, between which rotates, or oscillates, the armature coreI, which carries generating windings W, all being of the usualarrangement in magneto generators, except that the windings should havecomparatively high inductive capacity.

, Letter T represents a transformer, having primary windings P andsecondary wind-, ings S, the two being in inductive relation to eachother. The conductors 8 and 9 connect the secondary to the electrodes 0and e I .of the spark plug, in which 9 is the sparke One termmal of theprimary is connected to one terminal of the generating windings byconductor 3, the other terminal 'of the primary being connected to theother terminal of the generating windings'by conductor 2, throughcondenser C, and conductor 1,.the condenser being in, series with thetwo conductors. The circuit is W1 C 2-P3W. Conductor 5 connectsconductor l t0'0ne terminal of a circuit making and breaking device, theother terminal of which is connected to conductor 3 by conductor 4.

In the circuit making and breaking device, 7c is a cam which is suitablyjournaled and driven in synchronism with the armature shaft; the cam hassuitable cam surfaces on its periphery to vibrate the pivoted arm 6,through means of a roller carried by b and riding on the cam surfaces;the arm 6 1s pivoted at h and carries a contact point 0, which isadapted to make contact alternately with contact points at and n whichare carriedby frame f; m and n are'not insulated from each other. Thespring 2 serves to keep the roller in contact with cam surfaces.

As shown in Fig. l, the roller of arm 6 has just entered a depression inthe cam surface, thus allowing thearm b to move to the left until thecontact'point c has made contact with a; just below the roller the camsurface is shown raised, the raised portion being at such distance, orradius, from the center of the cam journal that the arm 6 will be movedto the right, when this raised portion of the cam moves under theroller, to such extent that the contact point 0 will contact on m. Theremainder of the cam surface may be at such radius that the arm I) ismoved into, and maintained at, such position that the contact 0 standsmidway between at and 12, out of contact. This would be desirable whenbatteries are used as source ofcurrent, to prevent unnecessary drain onthe batteries.

The operation of the whole apparatus is, referring first to Fig. 1, asfollows: Electrical pressure is generated in the armature windings whenthe armature is rotated; at a proper period, the cam 70, which isrotated simultaneously with the armature, (and in synchronism with thearmature in the ease the generator'generates alternating current ofcomparatively low frequency, which would be the case in the type ofgenerator shown), causes the arm I) to move so that 0 makes contact withone of the contact points, say n, then to break the-contact andimmediately make contact with the other contact point m, assuming thecam to revolve counter clockwise. Now, as soon as the con: tact has beenmade on n, a heavy flow of current will be established through, or in,the generating windings, the circuit being W- -15bf 4-3-W; since thegenerating windings possess inductance, energy will be stored in them;then, as the circuit is broken at 12, an inductive impulse ofcomparatively high potential will discharge from the windings throughthe primary P into the coudenser C, which will become highly charged,and again discharged, through the primary 1 P and the circuit making andbreaking de-' vice, immediatelythe arm 72 makes contact on m. Thus,there is a heavy flow-of cur- .rent rapidly established through-theprimary winding of the transformer just after the contact is broken atn, the condensance of C being made of suitable capacity with respect etcthe inductance of P so that there is no lag in the current flow; thisheavy flow of current through primary P induces high electrical pressurein the secondary S from the terminals of which conductors are led to thespark plug terminals, 6 and e, the electrical pressure being high enoughto cause current to jump across theair gap g, which, in,practice, isinside the motors'cylinder, where the are, established across the airgap, will ignite the explosive charges therein.- Coming now to theaction that takes place when contact is made at the contact point m, itwill be readily understood that as soon as contact is made at :m, whichwill be immediately after contact is broken at 'n,-the condenserfwhichhas just been highly charged, will discharge through the circu t makingand breaking device and the primary," (the circuit being C-2-P-3--4.fb-51 O'), inducing further electrical effects in the secondary 'S ofnearly the same magni- 30 tude as those induced by the discharge fromthe generating windings. Thus, high electrical pressure, suflicienttocause'current to. jump across the air'gap of a spark plug is induced inthe secondary winding, 'ffirst, when the contact is broken at a, andagain when contact is made at m. Either of these electrical effects, theone'produced on break-' ing contact, or the .one produced on makingcontact, is amply sufiic ent, when a suitable or other source of currentis used, to effectwely ignite the explosive charges in;

Hence, one'of the stationary contact points may be left of generator, 4

internal combustion motors.

as is's hown in Fi 4, and the electrical effect produced 'on' breakingcontact alone used for the ignition of the explosive charges. However, Iprefer to use the two stationary contact" points scheme, or equivalentaction, since it appearsto give somewhat better results at low speeds ofthe armature.

It will be observed that, whenever thearm b of the circuit making andbreaking device 3 makes contact on one of the stationary con-' tactpoints, two complete circuits are made, namely, circuit W-1-5b-f-4-3'-W,on the left side of said device, and circuit, G2-P-3-4-f-b-5-1--C, onthe other or right side "ofthe device. Gurrent may flow in time if therebe difference of potential at the terminals of I'the generating windingsand of the condenser. The condenser is,.of. course, chargedjto thepotential existing in the generating windings just before the contact ismade by b, and

discharges as soon as \the .contact is made, the current flowing throughthe primary in such direction as to magnetize, to a slight extent,-themagnetic field of the primary in the reverse direction the inductivedischargeto that produced by a from the generating wlndings; there thusa greater flux variation produced an the primary of thetransmagneticfield of the I former than would be by the inductive dischar e alone,and hence also greater electrica The distributer blade use such, at slowspeeds,

utilized for producing 1n the secondary of the transformer.

both circuits at the same winding.

The arrangementshown in Fig. 2 differs from that shown in Fig. 1 ;.onlyinthat it is adapted. for a four cylinder motor. The cam It has fourlobes so as to produce four movements of the arm I) for each revo:lution, one movement for each cylinder F revolves at'the same speed asthe cam, preferably onthe sameshaft. with the cam;' it makes contact, atproper periods, with any one of the se'g, ments 8, thus connecting thesecondary circuit with the spark plug of that c linder which is inperiod for ignition. or the effects are produced-in the secondary typeof the generator shown, the cam and the distributer are torun at halfspeed of the armature for" four cycle motors. Fig; 3- shows a modifiedform of circuit making and breaking device in which only one stationarycontact point is used. The action is the'same as in Figs. 1 and 2, sincethe contact is maintained when the roller is .on the high portions} ofthe cam and broken only for an instant/as the roller rides into thedepression on the cam surface. 7 Fig.4 shows a modification of the .ar-vran ement in which fourt-ransformers are one foreach cylinder andpreferably placed on ormear the cylinder; in this arrangement, thedistributer is placed in the primary circuit and it switches. the pri-'mary current to the transformer operating the cylinder that is in properperiod for ignition; ,The action of the circuit making and breakingdevice shown in'Fig: 4 is that the inductive discharge of the generatingwindings alone is the electrical effects The heavy flow of *current inthe generating windings is established when the roller ofarm brides intothe depressions in the cam k,the circuit being then made on m, andbroken as soon as the roller rides onto the high portion of the cam. L

The circ'uit making and breaking device of. Fig. 2 may be used inthearrangement of Fig. 4, and vice versa. Also, the circuit makingandbreaking device and the distributer may be combined into one, byproviding four contact arms I) and four stationary contact points,.both, the arms and points, properly spaced around the cam,

45 .winding and acircu'it make and break de- -vice for first closing thesire to secure by-Letters-Patent is winding and including a sparkingdevice, a

used eluded of a condenser, a

' shunt.

to the primary winding.

which would, in this case, depression, ternately. r While I have shown agenerator as source ti current, itis obvious that batteries may besubstituted, though, when batteries are a coi-l having inductance mustbe in inth'e'battery circnit, that is, be-' tween the battery and thecircuit 'making and breaking device. v

'WhatrI' claim as my invention, and de- '4, In an ignition system, thecombination of a supply circuit including inductance, a condenser and'aprimary winding in series in the circuit, a secondary circuit. includinga sparking device, a shunt around the condenser and winding, and a makeand break device in the shunt, and a device consisting connected withone side of the have only one to operate the various arms al- In an anddischarging of the condenser for each ignition period of the engine.

In an ignition system,

ignition system, the combination primary winding connected in seriesrelation with the condenser and adapted tobe energized bya high impulsecharging the condenser, a secondary circuit inductively related to'theof a for producing upon the opening of the circuit, a high potentialimpulse, a condenser for receiving such impulse, -a primary Winding inseries relation with and traversed by the impulse during the'charging ofthe con denser, a i secondary circuit including a sparking device, ashunt around the condenser and winding, and a make and break timingdevice for first closing the circuit and instantly opening the sametoproduce the impulse to charge. the condenserthrough the Windin andagain closing and opening the circuit to disch through; the Winding forproducing two sparks at each ignition period of the engine.

In an ignition system, the combination of a magneto, a condenser and aprimary supply circuit connected with the condenser and winding andincluding inductance to pro duce the high potential impulse -for. chaging the condens closing and opening succession the circuit through the2. In an ignitionvsystem, the'combination- 01' a supply circuit ofalternating current including inductance, means for momenta rily closingthe circuit as the electromotive its an impulse due to the inductance, aconimpulse, a primary Winding traversed in series relation ands-e11ergized by the condenser charging impulse, and a secondarycircuitinductively related Ii-ary Winding and armature, a make. andbreak device'm the shunt and including a movable contact *element, andan actuator for, moving the element in timed relation to the armature toeffect in quick succession the closing of the circuit as the'arinature3. In an ignition system, the combinaition attains an approximateposition :of maxiof a supp y circuit including inductance, a condenserand a primary winding' n series n the circuit, a shunt across the"circuit in of the circuit to obtain a high potential parallel relationto a the condenser and impulse through the winding in charging thecondenser.

tance and then penmg i HENRY JOSEPH PoDLESAK. a high potentialimpulse-through the wind- Wit mg and condenser due solely to the induc-C, L B

tance' for energizing the winding. S5

the combination supply circuit containing inductance arge the condenser.

winding inseries with the winding ofthe magneto armature, a shunt aroundthe pri- 'mum electro-motive force and the opening- In testimony whereofI aflix my signature 1n the presence of two subscribing'witnesses,

